This post is about a stranger I befriended. Let's called him M. I met him the day I travelled with my friend to get his vaccine. It was a town forty minutes away, on the outskirts of the city. While my friend was busy waiting for his turn, I went to a nearby coffee shop. I don't usually frequent coffee shops because they are quite exorbitant with their prices but I was hungry and tired so I did.
M was the barista that served me that day. I didn't know what to get so I asked for his opinion. He said he had only started working there for the past three works and was still quite inexperienced with his skills. So I asked him to make the best drink he knew. Off he went to making it.
It was good coffee. He even did the thing where you wave the milk around while pouring it to make it look all nice. I praised him.
That day was quite slow for him, because two minutes later he came over to sit. He'd made himself a drink as well. We talked about his job. Desperation led him to being a barista. He was beginning to like it. We talked about my studies, the commute, the pandemic and the vaccination centers. I asked him a bit about the area surrounding us and he recommended a Tesco nearby and a excellent cafeteria for lunch. I expected my wait to be dull and arduous, but it was surprisingly delightful.
That became my highlight for that day.
Fast forward three weeks later, we had to go to the same place for his second dose. Once again, I went to the coffee shop, with high expectations. He saw me and laughed out loud. I ordered a expensive drink this time around, with even more ingredients. It was evident he knew his around the machines much better than last time. We sat and talked once more. This time, we talked about music. We talked Indian classical, and some modern as well.
This is the reason why I am writing about him. Prior to this encounter, I had discovered an indie India band called Peter Cat Recording Co. I found it at random while surfing through worldwide radios. They made some pretty good music. Different to the ears and very refreshing.
While talking about music, this completely Malaysian person, with not a hint of Indian in him, somehow mentions Peter Cat. Keep in mind, every other Indian I have talked in university or elsewhere has never heard of them, but he did, and he was a fan. I almost spat out my coffee.
I am not a big believer in fate or the like, but I am often astounded by the sheer odds of coming across the one person who would have similar interests as yours, in such a distant part of the world.
That moment has been etched into my mind, and will probably stay that way for a long time. I think I'll go to meet him once again, before I leave.
Comments
Post a Comment